A Dream within a Dream
by Roxu
Summary: "I think we can both come to an agreement that, above all comes family, yeah? To each their own? Our individual families is what matters to both of us more so than - whatever 'this' is, so I have a strange feeling that this will never work out like you and I hope it will . . ." She didn't respond to his words. "That's what I thought ... Goodbye, Rebekah." ... Rebekah/OC ... R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A Dream within a Dream **

"_**Invisible things are the only realities."**_

_**\- Edgar Allen Poe**_

* * *

**September 7, 2009 – Mystic Falls, Virginia – Floyd Street – 5:49 A.M.**

There was something so serene about the artistic effect of dawn to Benjamin Gilbert. Perhaps it was the multiple colors and transitions it could possess. Today was a perfect symbolism of his wandering thoughts. An early morning of a crisp September, the colors of amaranth pink and orange swirled the skies expanse, embellishing the earth with illuminance. It was an everyday occurrence in which he did not mind sprinting routinely to. As long as The Rolling Stones or Kansas was blaring through his earphones, he was inspired to simply observe nature at its pristine emerging.

Jogging was something he'd done faithfully since the beginning of his freshmen year of high school. It was a method to sufficiently clear his head, but to also stay into the lean, muscled shape he had worked hard to maintain (especially since he'd always seemed to eat more than the average portion of food every meal). Nowadays, muting his thoughts was the only thing keeping him still running. It was a blessing, an anchor he had discovered by his father who had used to go running with him periodically.

Keyword: _used_. Comprehending his turn of traitorous musings, Benjamin slowed into a halting walk and yanked out his earphones, the lyrics to _Sympathy of the Devil_ fading gradually as the buds bounced against his chest as he trekked. He ran fingers through his ruffled dark hair, grimacing when sweat coated his hand in an attenuated layer. Wiping his hand clean against his basketball shorts, Benjamin rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms to relieve the tense muscles.

He was selfishly pleased that he had taken his parent's sudden deaths far better than both of his two siblings. At twenty-two year's old, and having just graduated with a master's in literature and art, Benjamin had read through multiple upon multiple of tragedies. Albeit nothing compared to the loss of his parent's, he had come to terms of their passing through one night of heavy drinking and then waking up with a killer migraine and the sunlight pouring into his burning, aching eyes. He liked to believe that was his mother's spiritual way of somehow scolding him.

His siblings were a total different story altogether, though.

Benjamin slipped off his running shoes by the welcoming mat on the front porch, mainly because mud had dried into clinging dirt into the soles from the forest trails he generally took. Opening the wooden oak door, he took the stairs two at a time until he reached the top. Before his parent's deaths, his job as a student teacher and secretary at the local high school had been supplying an average apartment downtown in Mystic Falls. Knowing that Jenna (who he saw more as a cousin even though she was technically his Aunt) would have a spastic attack from the sudden parenthood thrusted upon her, he had taken the liberty on moving into his parent's bedroom. It was an ease after living paycheck to paycheck, at least, even if he felt like he was stealing something every time he entered the room.

There was a moment in the past that Jeremy and he had shared bunk beds, but Jeremy had practically frothed at the mouth at even the mention of sharing a bedroom with his "_idiotic_" older brother again.

Benjamin had been offended, honestly – so what if he snored? "_Real men snore_," he had previously told his fourteen-year-old brother. Of course, Elena had to be the one to completely ruin the statement by clarifying matter-of-factly that, "_Real bears snore_," but he had swiftly made her regret speaking at all by chasing her around the house threatening to tickle her until she passed out. She had won that race, curse her five-foot-seven frame in contrast to his six-foot-one.

Hopping into the adjoining bathroom to his parent's master bedroom, Benjamin stripped down and cleansed himself free of any grime, sweat, or dirt. He thoroughly brushed his teeth and did a quick trim work of the chiseled facial hair around his chin and cheekbones. Even though his hair was almost growing medium length, the brunette strands beginning to curl around his ears, he simply ran a hand through the damp tresses to brush them back off of his forehead.

Technically, this was his first day as an official teacher at Mystic Fall's High School, but he wasn't going to abruptly turn professional and uptight because of his new credentials. Benjamin dressed into the usual clothing he was comfortable in, which consisted of dark wash jeans, a long-sleeved black Henley that he pushed up to his elbows, and a pair of worn brown combat boots. Satisfied, he gathered his leather messenger bag, jamming his lesson plan folder and laptop into the case before swinging it over his right shoulder.

He heard the shower running in the adjoining bathroom of Elena and Jeremey's bedrooms, so he decided that he wouldn't rudely wake them up this time. He couldn't deny the satisfaction by jumping childishly up and down on a mattress, or simply lying flat onto them until they decided that breathing was better than sleep. Chuckling to himself, Benjamin glided down the bannister of the stairs, a skip in his step as he began making a pot of coffee in the kitchen.

The kitchen was possibly his favorite place in the Gilbert Household. Not just because of food, though. It was gray and black granite countertops with light wooden cabinets and a white décor on the walls. It was homey, an ambience that anyone could only dream to feel when walking into their kitchen. But not only the interior, because as he gazed over at the metal cooktop stove, he could imagine mom standing there, making the traditional Sunday strawberry pancakes with dad poised behind her, arms around her waist, chin resting on the top of her shoulder as they spoke in hushed, loving whispers.

"Oh, you're up, thank God," a voice shattered his haunting thoughts. Benjamin glanced over at the new arrival in the kitchenette, and was pleased to see his mother's sister standing at the threshold of the room. She was adorned in a late summer attire, a light Easter blue tank top and a thin flower-printed jacket throw over and a regular pair of straight blue jeans. Her hair had been thrown into a hasty up-do, and Benjamin could not help but smile widely at her already seemingly frazzled appearance. "I was about to completely break down into a panic attack."

"You've been here all summer, Jenna," Benjamin poured himself a cup of coffee into his large travel mug. "There's not much to know about these moving, emotional forenoons. Just overall laziness, death-worthy morning breath, and dragging Jeremy out of bed by his hair."

She swept a hand through her blonde bangs, only to futilely to have it flounce back into the vision of here right eye. "Doesn't matter – what matters is the fact that this is a disastrous catastrophe. Shouldn't they be leaving for school right now – shouldn't _you_ be leaving before them?" she laughed, nervously. "First day as the teacher everyone is going to hate, might as well be late – is that a slogan you made or something?"

Benjamin curled his nose. "I take high offense to that insult. And no, my slogan was, 'Party defines tardy, attention defines redemption'," he shrugged indifferently, chuckling into the rim of his cup. "I think I like yours better, though – it's funnier."

Jenna huffed with annoyance, "You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"

"More than you know."

Benjamin was starting on his second cup of plain black coffee just as his little sister entered the room. He'd always been on edge with her since the day she had been released from the hospital. His parent's deaths had been mainly because of the fact they had drove to pick up Elena after she had went to a bonfire with her friends, and had drove off of Wickery Bridge on that ride back home. He had never blamed her for the occurrence, but at first she had sunk herself into a very dark place, fully taking the blame and shame and guilt all on her shoulders.

Elena was only seventeen year's old, though, so she would be the fault and the faultless without him saying or not saying anything. That's just how teenagers are, because he certainly knows from experience. Elena truthfully looked a lot similar to him in appearance. Tanned olive skin, dark hair, and doe brown eyes. Those were most definitely Gilbert traits that had been passed down through the ancestry line for a long period of time.

She came in, even though he saw the sorrow lingering somewhere behind her eyes, and she smiled genuinely at him. It was an overall charming surprise. "Good morning, sweetheart," he offered her, gesturing to the coffee pot as if it was a king on a mighty throne. "_Sweetheart_" was the affectionate nickname he had begun calling her since she had turned eight, and he thirteen. It had stuck quickly, and even though she sometimes whined, he knew she secretly found it brotherly enduring.

"Benny," she greeted. "Go for a run this morning?"

"Since I turned fifteen," he answered with a grin as she poured herself a cup of steaming hot coffee.

Jenna, in the meantime, was frantically deciding on what breakfast foods she could actually conjure without burning down the kitchen in the process. "Toast," she exclaimed like it was easy. "I can make toast."

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna," Elena said, placing the pot back into its slot.

"Is there coffee?" Jeremy had finally made his dramatic entrance of questioning the caffeine resources. Wearing all dark clothing, the fourteen-year-old could never have gotten anymore stereotypical.

"Depends. Are you making me late for school?" Benjamin shot him a look, and Jeremy returned it tenfold. The teacher shrugged casually after a moment of silent staring. "Certainly, but beware, if there isn't enough for me to take on the run, I'll drop your ass."

"You say that like you could," Jeremy's lips crept up into an almost smile.

"Don't tempt me, Jer."

Jenna walked around the center island to the kitchen table. "Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared," she scowled, and Benjamin chuckle as she seemed to be scolding herself. She was digging, riffling through her purse and through her disheveled wallet. "Lunch money –"

"Jenna, no." Benjamin held up a hand to her shoulder as she began to stalk to the two high school students. "I told you their expenses at school would be covered by me. Groceries by me. Football games and extracurricular activities by me. Anything else, is yours."

"And I told you I didn't agree with that! I am flipping a damn lid here," she grumbled. "I want to help, that's what I'm here for!"

"You are helping," he folded her hand around the two twenties. "By saving these for a future lunch with a hot date."

She shot him a warning glare. "Are you expecting me to be lonely forever or something?" there was an edge in her voice that dare him to speak, and she knew he couldn't resist the challenge either.

Benjamin considered mockingly, ". . . Well, at this rate –"Before he could finish he was socked in the shoulder, and despite Jenna's shorter eight-inch difference with him, the woman could pack a mean punch. "Ow, dammit," he rubbed at his bicep. "Okay, okay," Benjamin yanked out his wallet and produced two twenty dollar bills to deliver to his younger siblings.

Jeremy took his without a word of gratefulness, but Benjamin didn't comment on it, the boy was practically drowning in his own coffee. Elena held a mug between her hands, blowing on the scalding liquid. She shook her head at her older brother. "I'm good," she said. He held it out for longer between his middle and index finger and she sent him a patronizing frown. "Benny, I'm good. I don't even like the lunchroom food–"

"And I don't care," he shook it suggestively in his hand. "I'm not letting you run around with no money on you. Just in case, take it so I don't feel bad about you starving on the side of a street or something."

Elena released an exasperated sigh, retrieving the money and shoving it into her front pocket. Benjamin grinned victoriously, but then his cellphone in his back pocket began vibrating. He flipped it open and pressed send. "Hello?" he questioned. He had a feeling he knew who it was, so he swiftly began refilling his cup of coffee and grabbing his keys off of the kitchen table simultaneously.

"I suggest you hightail it here," the new secretary, Ms. Clarke, announced. He was silently grateful for the warning so he could avoid the wrath of the prestigious and self-righteous Principal Williams.

"I'm on my way," he flipped his phone shut, hustling the device into a side-pocket on his bag. "I'm out, guys! You both have a reasonable, safe way to school?" he doubted the word 'reasonable' was necessary, but he did not exactly feel reassured with some of Jeremy's questionable friendships.

"Yes!" Elena and Jeremy answered simultaneously.

Benjamin jogged out to his car, a dark gray '07 Infinity Sedan, and tossed his bag to the passenger seat and shoved his coffee into the cup holder before reversing out of the driveway Fast &amp; Furious style. _Mom would have never let me get away with that._ Benjamin cranked up a mix of Metallica tapes and Bob Segar as he drove to the high school, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat and percussions of the music.

Pulling into the parking lot, Benjamin wordlessly observed the school before him, humming lightly to the song that was faint in his ears. He recalled the moment he had resolved to become a teacher. It had all been because of Mrs. White, his senior year Literature and English teacher. Benjamin, even though he had been engrossed enough into track, basketball, and football – he had always had an odd, peculiar passion for reading.

But of course, since under the eyes of his friends, reading had been like he couldn't understand basic sentence structure. Note the sarcasm there. After reading William's Shakespeare's _Macbeth_, he'd written his report on the interesting story and his middle-aged teacher, Mrs. White, had called him to stay after class one afternoon on a Tuesday. She hadn't cornered him, or interrogated him, but it was as if she had been knowing. She just knew.

And so Mrs. White had allowed him to borrow books from her under her own recommendation, and so he had spent countless of nights staying up late at night engrossed into the words on the pages. Some part of him had fallen in love with the idea of books. Of reading something from someone else's creative imagination, their thoughts, and their thinking process all swirled together to form into a well-plotted story.

Mystic Fall's High School, as he leaned against the door to his car and peered at it, brought back good _and_ bad memories. It was a colossal three-story building, rows of glass windows gleaming against the morning sunrays that reflected the color of molten gold into his eyes. The colors of the cemented bricks were slate gray and maroon red, the shade of red being the high school color, also known as the infamous Timberwolves.

Plucking out his coffee and locking up the car, Benjamin adjusted his bag and entered the lobby of the school, easily discovering the location of the office. He'd visited here over the summer to arrange his classroom the way he comfortably prepared, but he'd been a prior student as well, so the layout of the school had been unfortunately etched into his memory a long time ago.

After gathering his mail out of the teacher's lounge, Benjamin riffled through the papers as he ventured to his class, noticing the trickle of students beginning to surface from their cars and early bus rides. He threw his bag on his desk in his classroom and turned on his heel to write his name on the board behind him with a stick of chalk.

_Mr. Gilbert, _Benjamin stared at the neat cursive of his calligraphy. Ironically, it had always been his dad in the family to obtain the neat handwriting, but mainly because the man had amazing drawing skills. Benjamin and Jeremy had inherited the ability to easily sketch, so their handwriting was almost a replica of their father's. He felt repulsed if people called him "_Mr. Gilbert_", that was his father's title, not his.

Removing it with a flick of the eraser, he straightforwardly wrote: _Benjamin Gilbert_. Creating a face of content, the teacher dropped himself into the rolling chair and propped up his feet at the edge of the desk. He grabbed his copy of the collection of all of Edgar Allen Poe tales and balanced it up on his lap. A book and a cup of sweltering coffee – he almost could have waited for school to start.

After flipping through thirty more pages, the bell rang for school to officially commence. He didn't stray from his position as juniors began mingling into the classroom. "Take a seat," he commented casually, overturning a page.

"Ah, _Benny_!" there was a shrill squeal. Before he could cast a raised eyebrow toward the sound of his name being more or less screamed, someone nearly made him spill his coffee as they practically barreled into him. The heavy scent of strawberry vanilla attacked his senses as honey blond hair momentarily obscured his vision. It was none other than Caroline Forbes, fashion police extraordinaire, and had been one of Elena's best friends since they'd been diving into coloring books and waving plastic pink wands at one another.

"Caroline!" he blinked as she straightened herself, fidgeting with uncontained excitement. "That was a welcoming," he grinned at her. "How are you?" he marked the page with a bookmark and placed it on his desk. "Enjoy your summer?"

"How am I? How are _you_? Are you okay – Elena looks a little pasty, y'know, she must have not gotten outside a lot –"her blue eyes dimmed as she realized her words. "Oh, I'm sorry –"she laughed nervously. "Who am I to talk right, I'm like as white as a ghost! My skin like, _never_ tans –"

"You're rambling," he stated flatly. He enjoyed Caroline's company in general, she was a free-spirited girl, but if anything she was sometimes (most of the time) a very overzealous person. It made it difficult to stay in her presence after ten minutes, and it was a wonder how Bonnie and Elena hadn't been trialed for attempted murder in strangling her.

"Of course I am," she chirped, bemusing. "I'm sorry, Benny."

"It's alright. And to answer your question, we've moved on – and you need to move on, to a seat," he smirked at her, waggling his fingers at the few empty desks scattered about the room.

"_Ooh_, the authoritative voice. Kinky and hot. I like it." Caroline was a major flirt, but she was as harmless as a kitten. She gracefully took her seat near the middle of the classroom, already mid-conversation with another peer.

Benjamin took a swift swig of his now lukewarm coffee, clapping his hands against the thighs of his jeans as he stood agilely to his feet. "Okay, so I know most of you know me from the student teacher job I had here last year, but to those new and to those who don't actually know me, I am Benjamin Christopher Gilbert, and I've decided that I don't really care on formalities, so you may call me anything but Mr. Gilbert, or my middle name." He leaned against his desk from the front, arms crossed.

"Um, this is . . . literature?" a boy questioned doubtfully, peering through some papers to scan his schedule.

"Literature and English, but I mostly focus on Literature," Benjamin clarified. "When reading the stories and books I will have you complete, this semester will go buy extremely fast. We will read _Macbeth_, _Hamlet_, and _Lord of the Flies_." Hearing the protestant grumbles across the room, he smiled coyly. "But I decided to do something different from my original plans. Instead of making you do a ten-page report on every book that I listed, like I had to do in college, I will be asking you a series of questions each Friday, on each individual book. I will keep a tally on who makes the most corrects answers when we are officially done with _Lord of the Flies_."

"And what?" Sarah Wade already seemed miserable in her seat.

"And the person with the most correct answers will be choosing the last book of the semester. I apologize in advance, but there will be no smut-littered books in my classroom so allow that thought to flee immediately." There was a brief pause of laughter as the students all grinned perversely. "To be frank, the genres will be anything but that. I will have to swiftly proof read, of course, but I believe this will be a fun and enlightening semester for all of us, agree?"

They really had no choice but to frighteningly nod in acceptance to their fate.

* * *

**September 7, 2009 – Mystic Falls, Virginia – Mystic Fall's High School – 11:56 A.M.**

"I already know I'm the most hated teacher throughout the history of Mystic Falls," Benjamin released a guffaw of laughter as he hopped up onto a table that Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline were all perched on. He bit into the apple he had stolen from the lunchroom, the sunlight of the evening peeking through the breezy shade of the tree above them. "I think I made a kid cry second block."

"That's pathetic," Bonnie chuckled. She was an African-American female, with beautiful mocha-colored skin and olive eyes, her smile held a kindness and selfishness that he'd familiarized himself with a long time ago. "I'm excited to read Hamlet."

"A phenomenal tragedy," Benjamin commented, closing his mouth to chew on the fruit. He swallowed. "What other classes do you guys have?"

"History with Mr. Tanner," Caroline complained with a dispirited groan. "He makes me want to slit my wrists when he lectures."

"He's a fine teacher, Caroline, show some respect," Benjamin defended. William personally was a good guy if you overlooked the macho personality. He was a football coach, though, the tough guy, _I-know-better-then-you_ charade was meant to be a key-player for a typecast high school.

Elena was smiling. "Says the teacher," she snickered amusingly.

"I'm a damn good teacher, sweetheart. Don't forget it."

"However could we?" Caroline murmured sarcastically.

"Would you like me to spit apple seeds at you?"

"What – _ew_! No!"

"Then shut up before I give you detention, Ms. Forbes," he winked at her to make his words every bit of playful as they were meant to be.

Caroline slyly spoke, interpreting the wink to something it plainly was not, "Well, if that's what it takes to get an empty classroom with you, Ben_ny_," she practically purred suggestively, emphasizing his nickname.

Elena was affronted. "Caroline! That's my brother!"

"Yeah, your fine-ass brother!"

"Illegal brother," Benjamin added casually. They had all grown used to Caroline's small – "_teensy tiny_", she says – crush on him since he'd turned seventeen, and her twelve. It had always involved a banter between them both, but Caroline had never dared actually gone through to any of the things she had ever advocated to him. Because despite her golden beauty, Caroline was possible the most insecure person he even knew, popular to contrary belief amongst town gossip.

She harrumphed. "Fine, you spoilsports."

Benjamin threw away the apple core into the trash bin adjacent to the table, standing back to his feet and stretching his arms above his head. "I should go get ready for my fourth block," he sent Elena and Bonnie a short look. "You two get a tardy and I'll give you extra homework on purpose." With a chuckle he strolled away from the trio, nodding to a few other students including Coach Tanner before he entered the virtually deserted hallways.

After buying a bottle of water out of the teacher's lounge, he returned to his classroom, and surprisingly enough, there was someone already sitting at a desk in the back of the room. "Not a cafeteria food type of guy?" he questioned the student, placing the bottle of water on the desk.

"Is that a rhetorical question?" the boy asked with a small smile. Benjamin studied him, taking in his square jaw and gelled brown hair and cool green eyes.

"I guess it could be," Benjamin spun around the rolling chair once before returning to his favorite position, with his feet propped up on the desk. The Edgar Allen Poe book was already resting against his legs. He gestured to the row of shelves to the left of the room, nearest to the boy, who had been eyeing them with inquisitiveness. "Feel free to browse . . . Mr. Salvatore, is it?"

Stefan seemed wary, but nodded in affirmative. "How did you know?"

Benjamin flipped open the book. "A student that I didn't recognize, hiding out in the back of the classroom, and seems interested in 1500 to 1800 literature?" a chuckle rumbled his chest. "Obviously from not around here."

"Renaissance literature is the best, in my opinion."

"A William Shakespeare fan, then?"

"A Midsummer Night's Dream, to be exact," Stefan nodded.

Benjamin felt oddly pleased to share a common enjoyment of author with someone. "Ah, not a book by him people normally list," he said. "Interesting. Perhaps you will breeze by in this class, Mr. Salvatore." A tranquil silence fell upon the dup as the literature teacher's phone began buzzing in the pocket he had previously secured it in his bag. Leaning over the armrest of his chair, he extracted the device and flipped it open, pressing it against his ear. "How's the presentation going, Jenna?"

"Just got done getting bullied by my thesis advisor," she clearly pouted through the phone, sounding out of breath as if she was walking a little too fast for her legs. "Think you can handle dinner tonight? I was going to grab some takeout, but knowing you –"

"Yeah," Benjamin wrinkled his nose at the thought of the greasy Thai food Jenna generally brought home, and had permanently remained an aroma in the cushions on the seats of her car. "I'll scrounge up something together, I'm sure. As far as I know Jeremey, Elena, and her friends are doing the traditional dinner at the Grill later this evening. We'll probably be eating alone."

Jenna scoffed. "More for me and you, then."

"I like the way you think," Benjamin snorted. The bell signaling fourth block rang blaringly. He could hear the skidding of sneakers and chitter-chatter as hordes of students began crowding the locker-lined corridors. "Duty calls. I'll see you later, Jenna. Good luck on the presentation. You'll do great."

"Says the guy who graduated with a masters after only four years." Jenna hung up on that note. He knew she had meant it in a joking manner. Benjamin thrusted his phone into his pocket, pulling up his roll-call as people began trudging into his class.

He laced his hands behind his head, grinning. "So, welcome to my humble abode . . ."

* * *

**September 7, 2009 –** **Mystic Falls, Virginia – Gilbert Household – 5:39 P.M.**

Benjamin disregarded his sister's hiss of discomfort and pain as he dabbed the cut on the calf of her leg, the peroxide and alcohol leaving a foul smell in the air. "I told you to stop going to the cemetery by yourself," he told her sternly, placing an overly-large Band-Aid over the small, shallow injury.

"I appreciate the concern, Benny, but I think I have the right to go visit mom and dad's grave if I want to," Elena retorted. She pressed her hand over the Band-Aid to smooth down the creases. "It was an accident, the fog made me trip."

"The fog?" Benjamin narrowed his eyes. "In the middle of a sunny day at the cemetery, really, sweetheart? If you're going to make up an excuse about where you actually were, make it believable," he shook his head in disappointment as he gathered up the wrappers and First-Aid kit supplies.

"I'm not lying!" Elena expressed an offended scowl. "Why would I lie, Benjamin? I'd go there every evening after lunch during the summer, so now I'm going after school!" she yanked her pants leg back down aggressively.

"Either way, take someone with you if you go anywhere," Benjamin grabbed her arm gently as she meant to steer herself toward the stairs. "There are worse things out there then what we've been through, sweetheart."

"I know," she said firmly, half-smiling gingerly. "I'm going to go get ready," she raced up the stairs before he could respond back with an answer.

Rolling his eyes, Benjamin returned to the kitchen after he heard her bedroom door close shut. He took the barstool he had previously occupied, half a glass of bourbon placed on the granite countertop, next to a scatter of files and manila folders.

He, uncharacteristically, did not mind the silence that gifted him with a practically, and soon-to-be empty house. Benjamin would usually enjoy the company of someone instead of his own thoughts any time of day. But he truthfully did not want Elena, Jer, or Jenna to stroll up to peek over his shoulder to see what he was intently reading.

The two folders held the names of two people. Darren Malloy and Brooke Fenton. Two young adults in their early twenties, twenty-four and twenty-two respectively, had been mauled savagely by an "_animal_" just the previous night. Benjamin clasped his glass of liquor, taking a quick drink to relish in the burn that travelled down his throat. The folder had been given to him by Principal Williams on his way outside to his car, the woman's serious gaze connecting momentarily with his own.

The crisp, pale yellow binder held the important information that Benjamin had been familiar leafing through since he'd turned eighteen. He remembered his eighteenth birthday like it was yesterday, how his parents had gotten up early that Saturday morning and had made his favorite breakfast food – French toast with strawberries, bananas, powdered sugar, and syrup. That night, they had ushered Benjamin into their bedroom, clicking the lock to the door to be certain of privacy.

He had originally thought they were going to give him a birthday present in secret, to not make his siblings of thirteen and ten jealous – but imagine his stark surprise when they had unleashed a horrifying secret.

He remembered his mother's words, "_Listen, honey. You know the Council that your father and I are on? We don't just sit around talking like you think we do . . . we – we protect the town. From vampires – and we want you to join us." _

At first he had laughed at them, at their pathetically acted joke. They hadn't been acting. Grayson, his dad, had dived into a two centuries-old tale that spoke of the founding of Mystic Fall's, and the vampires that had migrated here as well as the imminent church fire. For a minute he had believed that his parents were nine levels of crazy, but their insistent, solemn expressions proclaimed very differently.

For the sake of his own humanity at the bizarre knowledge, he had joined the Mystic Fall's Council.

Reviewing the police and medical reports, Benjamin practically shoved the dreaded files away from him and refilled his glass. Running a hand through his hair, he didn't glanced up just as the front door unlocked by a set of keys, and Jenna's groan of relief filling failed to reach his ears. Swirling the bourbon around in the bottom of his cup, he kept his eyes forward, gazing distantly and lost into his own thoughts.

"Benny, you cooked something, right?" Jenna unloaded her bag and school-related work on the kitchen table, glancing over his shoulder.

Benjamin blinked and immediately flipped the manila folders over onto their backs, wordless blank surfaces greeting her inquisitive eyes. His heartbeat roared loudly in his ears, and he could not have remembered the last time he had been so rigorously swallowed by his chaotic musings to not notice her presence. This was the exact reason to why he, more often than not, preferred company.

Jenna raised an arched eyebrow at his flinching movements. "Geez, Bruce Lee, chill out." She was about to add another comment to the strange behavior, but she saw the uneaten wrapped plate on the counter on the other side of him, across the kitchen near the stove. "I think yes," she approached the food.

"Uh, sorry," Benjamin scratched at his neck nervously. "Student/teacher confidentiality, you know the drill, Jen."

She hopped up on the counter, facing him, the food in her lap as she took a forkful of mash potatoes to shove into her mouth. She hadn't even bothered to heat it up, even though it was tepid. "No, I actually don't. One time my Pre-Cal teacher used a presentation I made to just show the class how _not_ to do it."

He snorted with entertainment. "I wasn't really into mathematics either, on my junior year I completely walked out of my Algebra 2 class when we started on imaginary numbers."

"One time I cried during a test, sobbing and snot all over my paper. I got sent to the principal's office."

Benjamin raised his hands in submission. "You win the math round, Jenna." She laughed and nodded along with him as she scarfed down the remaining food. He pressed his forehead into his folded hands and squeezed his eyes shut in exhaustion. "I'm fixing to go take a shower and fall into an early, dreamless sleep."

"Elena and Jeremy?"

"Jeremy's already at the Grill doing who knows what, Elena's upstairs applying makeup for a boy, I just know it." And truthfully, even though the thought was horrendously cliché, that did not sit well with him at all. He pictured Elena, his sweet little sister, and did not want a hormonal male anywhere near her within a ten-mile radius.

Spying the pensive scowl on his face, Jenna laughed loudly. "I love the protective big brother routine, Benny. Why does Elena get to be quarantined and I'm the one getting shoved out of the front door with condoms in my purse?" there was an accusing note in her tone.

Benjamin roared with guffaws. "Who said I put those there?"

Jenna flushed, horrified at the turn of conversation that she had just trapped herself in. Fidgeting, she pointed an implicating finger at him. "I hate you, you know that? You put those there, because you knew that I have a habit of letting _anyone_ go through my bag to find a pen so I could write a check!"

"What?" his face hurt from grinning. "You let that guy, Bob or whatever, go through your _purse_?" he threw up a gesturing hand. "What if he stole from you? Or found the wallet of pictures of you when you were in sophomore year? That would have been a definite deal-breaker."

"Benny!" she glared at his teasing. "His name was _Rob_, and you have no room to talk, Brace-Face!"

He revealed his teeth, the rows straight and white. "And look how I turned out, you haven't changed."

"I know where you sleep!" she hissed.

"I know I have a lock on my door!"

Jenna huffed and hopped off the counter, and he swiveled in his barstool to watch her. Just as she passed him in a flurry of Easter blue and a messy blond bun, he slid off of his cushioned seat and snatched her purse over her shoulder before she could fully reach it. She whirled around with nothing short of vengeance. "Benjamin Christopher, I am _warning_ you," she spoke lowly with caution. Jenna's dark hazel eyes had lit up with exuberant, and there was fortunately no anger in her open facial expressions.

"Duly noted," he responded. He dug into her purse and yanked out the foiled packets with a disbelieving laugh. "You kept them?!" he almost collapsed onto the wooden floor with bellows of chortles. He had edged himself around the kitchen table, she mimicking his footsteps with narrowed eyes.

"You _ass_!" running forward, she shoved his shoulder and stole back the condoms, heaving them into her bag just as Elena reentered the scene. The seventeen-year-old grabbed her jacket to toss over the black tank top she wore, cellphone in the other hand. "Leaving?" she questioned, still red from embarrassment.

"I'm meeting Bonnie at the Grill," Elena shot a questioning look at her brother, and he shrugged innocently.

"Okay, have fun," Jenna, the previous ordeal now wiped clean (for the time being), made a trying expression. "Wait, I got this. Don't stay out late," she placed her hands on her hips, "It's a school night."

"Let me give this a go," Benjamin took a step, pointing a threatening finger at Elena. "If it's even a second late after nine-thirty, I'm driving down there, and when I find you or your brother – _and I will_, you will wish that you were somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, drowning miserably."

Elena laughed at them, shaking her head. "Well done, the both of you. I feel scolded," she whirled around to exit, but halted halfway to the door. "Oh! Benny, I need you to unlock your car. I left my keys in there the other day when you came and got me from the car place or whatever."

"_The car place_? The _mechanics_, Elena."

She frowned resentfully. "I need my keys," she stated levelly.

Chuckling to himself, Benjamin nodded at her request. He retrieved his keys off of the countertop adjacent to the manila folders he really needed to put away, throwing them up and catching them with his left hand as he walked to the door, Elena following close behind him. Opening the door, he had expected the glow of the front porch light and the empty expanse of nighttime across their yard – not the figure of a person.

"Mr. Salvatore?" Benjamin frowned, confused.

"Stefan!" Elena was equally startled, but much to his bemusement, it was a pleased shock on her part. Before she could step forward and fully make conversation, his body blocked her path and stared down the small height difference he had on the boy. "Benjamin," she hissed warningly, jabbing her elbow into his back.

Clearly seeing the situation, Stefan placed up his hands and backed down a few steps. "Um – it's really not like that, Mr. – uh, Benjamin. Elena fell today, at the cemetery, and I saw it and came to ask if she was okay, that's all."

"She's perfectly fine –"

"I can answer for myself!" he was finally propelled enough in the back to force him forward a few feet. Elena glowered at her brother, pointing at his car. "My keys, now, please."

"Yes, my Lady," he smiled tauntingly. Collecting her keys, he placed them in her hands as Stefan and she paused from conversation. Eyeing the green journal in her hands that he knew she must have dropped at the cemetery, he clapped Stefan on the shoulder, and it wasn't a threat. He actually did not mind the kid. "Thanks for returning Deepest Darkest Secrets back to her," Benjamin said. "She would have been wandering aimlessly for days. I named it that after finding it in the living room one day, and I laid a finger on the cover and suddenly it was as if I had extracted her soul from her body."

Elena returned from placing it inside the house. "That's not true! You opened it!"

"Not purposely," he winked at Stefan before swiveling to Elena to say parting words. "I wasn't kidding about the Atlantic Ocean, sweetheart. I'll drown you myself." He kissed her temple, messing up her hair as he stepped back over the threshold into the house. "Hey, no funny business!" he shouted to the duo for the sake of humiliation as he slammed the front door shut.

Hearing Jenna humming from inside the laundry room in the back, Benjamin withdrew into his bedroom to jump into a quick shower. After soaking for ten minutes, his pajamas consisted of gray basketball shorts and a plain white tee-shirt. He annoying raked his damp hair back as he travelled back downstairs to reclaim the files of the victims. He promptly stuffed them into his messenger bag and called to Jenna that he was he was going to his bedroom to stay for the remaining night.

Plopping down on the Queen-sized mattress in the middle of his room, Benjamin threw an arm across his eyes and simply relaxed.

* * *

**June 24, 2005 – Dunham Lake, Virginia – Gilbert Family Lake House – 12:04 P.M.**

"_Dad, damn it!" the cut stung viciously across his bicep, where his father had nicked him with the jaggedly sharp stake. Grayson spun the homemade knife expertly in his right hand, but instead of an exhilarating grin, his lips were pressed into a grim line. _

"_Stop tensing, Benjamin," he ordered._

"_You're swinging a knife at me, man! What the hell am I supposed to do, dance away?!" he glared in annoyance at the object of his pain, there were numerous slashes across his arms now. Apparently, this was how you quickly learned how to fight. "Why can't we do hand-to-hand? I have a damn black-belt." _

"_So do I, son," Grayson rolled his eyes. "Vampires can move faster than you can think, and if they deflect your offensive and counter, you're done." _

"_Super strength. Super hearing. Super vision. Super fan-fucking-tastic." _

_Grayson bent into a defensive position, gesturing to the stake that Benjamin had dropped on the ground. They were at the forest ground by the Lake House, where dad had convinced mom to allow him to train their eldest son. "Don't swear so much, it's unbecoming. You're supposed to be an example to Lena and Jer."_

_Before Benjamin could retort sarcastically, Grayson leaped forward. Skidding his left foot back and crouching, the eighteen-year-old deflected his father's swinging arm with his forearm, jarring the limb from the physical pressure. Spittle flew passed his lips as a knee was jammed into his abdomen, effectively stealing oxygen from his lungs. With an elbow to the back Benjamin collapsed on the ground, a discomforting poke in his back where his heart was located alerted him his father had just killed him if he had been a vampire. He practically spat out dirt and grass as he panted into the earth._

_He was becoming quickly angered, though._

"_You're dead. Again," said Grayson._

_Scrambling to his feet, he pointed a shaking finger at his father, infuriated adrenaline coursing through his veins. "This is bullshit, dad! I'm supposed to be learning how to kill a vampire, not being your training dummy to toss around!" _

_His father received his son's withering glare with a composed face. The he smiled. "Good. You feel that anger? Harness it. Vampires are evil creatures, and if they know you know about what they truly are, they will not hesitate to kill you, Benjamin."_

_Lip curling, he hissed, "You don't understand. All of this is worthless, if they are as you say, they're too powerful." _

_Grayson shook his head, "Vampires have weaknesses, because everything has a weakness." _

_Sarcastically, "Is that your philosophy?" _

"_It's saved my life before." Grayson signaled with a motion of his arm. "Come at me," he commanded sternly. _

_Benjamin heaved a breath in preparation. He charged quickly, silently glad that he had gained his father's lean, lithe frame. It made it easier for him to move, and to stay light on his feet. Shoving his father's arm with the palm of his hand, Benjamin swiped with his stake in a wide horizontal arc. Grayson leaned back a hair's breath away to avoid the injury, but the eighteen-year-old was expecting just that. _

_Foot hooking around his father's ankle, Benjamin was almost giddy as he observed his father fall to the ground. He lunged forward and assembled to indicate the kill, but a foot was suddenly placed against his chest. _

_Flying backwards a few feet, he landed on his back with an audible thump. "Oomph!" he gagged on his breath, clutching at his chest for a few short seconds. "_Damn_," he gasped from the ache. He had been so caught-up in the almost victory that had forgot to actually _finish_ the victory. _

_Suddenly, the sun was blocked from his squinting eyes. Grayson's dark gaze shined down on his son with pride and a sense of achievement. He extended out an acknowledging hand. "Arrogance is the downfall of many men, Benny – but good job," he grinned widely, approvingly._

_With a surprisingly light heart on the whole fighting idea, Benjamin took the offered hand._

* * *

**September 8, 2009 – Mystic Falls, Virginia – Mystic Fall's High School – 2:31 P.M.**

"What do you think the ghost represents in the story?" Benjamin was strolling through the aisles of desks, nudging student's bags and backpacks underneath their desk if they were in the way of his footpath. A copy of Hamlet was in his left hand, his index finger being utilized as a bookmark. "Symbolism is a key aspect in old literature, and so is metaphors – is there any particular book that stands out on those two subjects?"

No one dared to raise their hand, of course. "Miss Donovan, any idea?" Benjamin questioned the girl, raising an eyebrow with calculation.

"The bible, perhaps," she answered with uncertainty.

"Yes! Revelation, the last book in the bible, is so heavily-riddled with symbolism and metaphors that it is possible that no one has fully come to an understanding on a clear interpretation –"Before he could order them to flip back to their page number, a rapid knock on his classroom door caused them to all gaze notably at the entrance.

Form his side-view of the rectangular-shaped window planted on the left of the doorway, it was Sherriff Forbes.

Revolving back to the prying senior class, Benjamin smiled pleasantly. "Alright, you all are going to read the next page while I'm outside, and when I come back, I expect all of you to be able to easily write a summary – if you decide '_to hell with it_', then you'll get deducted enough points worth a hundred-point grade." Snatching the files from his messenger bag, he slipped outside of his classroom and was met with an older version of Caroline.

Well, they were slightly different. Elizabeth Forbes had short hair, but the same shade as light honey blond. Her eyes were dark, while Caroline had inherited her father's dark cobalt color. Liz accepted the files with a grateful but rather solemn frown. "Did you review them?" she asked him earnestly.

"As much as I could. It's amazing to me that people actually believe that to be an animal attack, Liz. Their car was parked in the middle of a main road, it's impossible for an animal to drag them out of their vehicle and then aim to specifically rip into the main artery in their necks."

Liz nodded with discomfort. "I agree, we're treading a thin line. There's going to be a Council meeting this Friday, if the problem occurs again." She seemed as if she was going to stroll away, but halted herself before he could think to return to his classroom. "I know it's none of my business, but – um, how are you?" she asked lowly, glancing around as if knowing she shouldn't be inquiring such a question. Her fingers were clenching pale around the manila folders.

Benjamin's face was carved stone, but it softened in the slightest. "I'm fine," he cut off her opening mouth. "I know. The most fake lie that has learned to soar across this earth, I get it. But the truth is, my brother and sister have been dealing with it far worse than I."

Liz swallowed visibly. "But they're dealing, aren't they? Are you?"

He began to grit his teeth together, "I'm _fine_, Liz." Even though every night since they'd passed away he'd been haunted by happy memories of when they were actually alive and happily married and _making those strawberry pancakes_. He shook off the cold feeling seeping into his spine, causing him to forcefully shiver.

"You didn't even attend the funeral, Benjamin."

Something within him writhed in agony as she mentioned that last detail. Eyes darkening to a near shade of black, he breathed through his nose, his expression inscrutable. "You're right, it _is_ none of your business, Sheriff Forbes." He nodded his head a fraction before he ripped open his classroom door and quickly shut it behind him. Liz was a kind soul, and he liked her as a person, but his business was his business – he didn't owe anyone an answer unless he allowed it so.

He did not realize he was simply leaning against the door wordlessly until someone hesitantly called out his name. "Benjamin?" Vicki Donovan inquired slowly, brown eyes shimmering with concern and curiosity.

"The summary," he demanded coldly to the class. "Write it, now. You have ten minutes." Benjamin collapsed into his chair, allowing his head to hang back as he glared at the white ceiling tiles. His father had taught him everything he knew about vampires, weaknesses and strengths, the power of compulsion, the inability to reach past someone's doorway unless invited inside. But sometimes he regretted knowing because the Council was intrusive on every members' private life, and that had never sat well with him.

After comprehending that it was close to the end of school, he called them to a stop. "Place those wherever in your binder, we'll continue this tomorrow," he kicked his feet on the edge of his desk, listening as everyone took that as a cue to begin chatting amongst peers. Benjamin waved at them in dismissal when the bell began resounding unwelcomely. He got up himself, shoving his laptop in his bag as he slung it over his shoulder, gathering up his keys and empty travel mug.

"Benny!"

He was halfway to his car when he heard the call of his name. He tilted his head to the side to see Elena jogging up to him, long straight brown hair flowing behind her. "About tonight –"she was cut off by him, her wide eyes merely widening when he jerked open his driver's door and shoved his bag inside.

"Do you really, _really_ have to ask me that, sweetheart?" Benjamin's bad mood revealed in his scowl.

Elena was affronted, but then determined. "Yes. Yes, I do. You're my legal guardian, and if you say no, then that's fine. But I got invited to the party –"

"By who? _Stefan_ Salvatore?" he glared.

"_Yes_. I did. You have a problem with that?"

"No. I just remember the last time you went to a party with a boy, bad things happened." It wasn't until he had blurted it out then that his mind registered what he had spoken. Benjamin's eyes broadened at disbelief over himself, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the tear's glazing his little sister's eyes. "Oh God, Elena," it felt strange to even call her that. He reached for her limp hand. "Sweetheart, I'm –"

"– sorry? You're sorry?" she bit her bottom lip when it trembled, grief causing a grimace to wash over her face. "No, Benjamin, you're not. You _meant_ it, you're upset about something and you're mind decided to speak freely for _once_." She ripped her arm away from his grasp, and began to walk away with a tremble in her hands, but he caught her shoulders gently and swiveled her to face him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, wanting to wipe her tears away but halting from the action, knowing that would only make everything worse.

"_You_," she nearly spat in frustration. "You act like nothing happened. _Nothing_."

He winced, "That – That's not true."

"Yes it is. You blame me, like Jeremy," Elena choked down a subdued sob. "A-And it's okay, because I – I blame myself, Benny!" the sob broke free from her throat just as her elder brother crushed her to his chest, his arms draping her shoulders solidly. He clutched the back of her head, kissing her crown as she cried heavily into his shoulder. "I-I'm so sorry," she gasped.

"I would never," he murmured fiercely. "I would _never_ blame you, sweetheart. _Never_." Benjamin closed his eyes and held her closely, breathing in deeply. It had been a massive slip-up that he truly did regret and did not mean, he could never fully place blame on his seventeen-year-old sister – he was just feeling absent. The lack of his parents was beginning to take a toll.

"How about you text Bonnie, sweetheart, and tell her I'm going to take you home. I know you want to remain strong in her view," he rubbed her back, talking into the side of her head. She nodded into his chest and he released her and carefully watched her circle the car to get into the passenger seat, persistently rubbing her cheeks a splotchy red to rid them of any evidence.

Benjamin got into the driver's side, closing his door and placing the key into the ignition. "You know I love you, right?" he asked her, starting the car and placing his seatbelt on as his eyes seared into the side of her head as she refused to face him. "You, Jeremy, and Jenna are what I have left."

A smile formed on her lips, but it failed to reach her eyes. He was infuriated at himself. "I know, I love you too, Benny," she whispered, tears once again futilely streaking from her eyes. She sniffed quietly, placing her temple against the window as the trees blurred underneath her watery vision.

Benjamin hated himself.

* * *

**September 8, 2009 – Mystic Fall's, Virginia – Gilbert Household – 10:47 P.M.**

Benjamin was breathing heavy. He jumped out of his car, leaving the door to the car wide open without any care. The police lights were causing a headache to start in the back of his head, the blue and red flares were giving the forest's trees an eerie landscape. He walked alongside the van to the Animal Control Unit and a police car, expression becoming panicked when he saw Vicki Donovan's wounded body being hauled into an ambulance.

"Matthew?" Benjamin asked with baited breath. "What happened here? Liz called me and said there'd been a – a, uh, an incident."

Matt looked dazed, unfocused as he stared distantly at his sister. He was Elena's ex-boyfriend, the stereotypical football player with short blond hair and blue eyes. Benjamin had remembered meeting the boy when Elena had begun dating him her freshmen year of high school, and he'd always been so fun to embarrass and torment because he wore his heart on his sleeve like any hormonal boy. "I – I don't know," his eyebrows furrowed. "They think an animal attack?"

Benjamin gripped the boy's shoulder. "Go with them to the hospital," he softly pushed him into the direction of the back of the ambulance. "Where's Elena and my brother?"

"The – uh, the pavilion over there."

Searching the small crowd, he felt his shoulder immediately relax with relief when he saw Elena a small walking distance, her hands shove into her leather jacket's pockets. Benjamin sprinted quickly to her, shaking his head as he reached the Christmas light decorated pavilion. "Liz called me. An animal attack. Scared the hell out of me." Even though he was frightened for far more reasons, this had not been an actual animal attack, but his sister did not need to know that.

"Yeah, me too. Jeremy's the one who found her."

Benjamin opened his mouth, but Bonnie had popped up. She smiled slightly at him, but it faltered. "Hey, we're going to the Mainline Coffee, wait for news." It was a silent invitation.

Elena propped open her mouth, glancing at Benjamin. He sent her a reassuring smile, and she knew what she needed to do. "I think us Gilbert's have had a far too long day," she half-smiled at her brother, then turned to her best friend. "I think we'll haul Jeremy home and call it a night."

"Excuse me." Benjamin departed the two girls to say a prompt goodbye. He walked a few steps before catching someone standing near the patrol cars. Scowling immediately, Benjamin stalked over and ripped the beer from Jeremey's hand, tossing it into the bushes beside them with a crack of glass.

"The hell?" Jeremy nearly shouted.

"No, what the _fuck_? That's the better-phrased question. There's police out here, and if they decide to arrest you for underage drinking, then I sure as hell won't stop them."

"Why should you even care?" Jeremy bit out. His dark taupe eyes were either bloodshot from drugs or unshed tears, but who knew with this boy.

"_Me_? Do you want me to make you a list?" Benjamin was livid. He propelled his brother's shoulder with a rough jerk, and Jeremy winced before glaring heatedly at his oldest sibling. "I do care about you, Jer – and so that's the exact reason why if you don't get your ass in my car, right now, I will drag you there."

Jeremy's nostrils flare with an argument on the rise. "You_ can't_ –"

"Go to my _fucking_ car."

The fourteen year-old face held defiance and raging indignation as he practically stomped to Benjamin's car, kicking an empty bottle of littered beer as he went. The literature teacher pinched the bridge of his nose as he calmed his own chaotic emotions. Even though his kid brother was becoming a pain in his side, he probably could have handled that situation better. He heard someone gradually approaching with light footsteps, and turned to see Elena, who occupied a knowing expression. "Ready to go?" he asked, understanding that she had heard the previous conversation.

She nodded, and said the words he'd been thinking all day, "Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this."

But they were also dead, so what exactly could they want anyways?

When they reached home, Jeremy slammed his door shut and stormed into the house. Benjamin felt remorse over the wrath he had rained down on his brother, and maybe he wanted to apologize, but he also knew that perhaps a dosage of brutality was what Jer really needed. It was never what he wanted, but that was a simple given.

Benjamin collapsed onto the couch, his knee bending off of the armrest and a pillow uncomfortably wedged into the side of his back. "Jenna, I hope you made a pot of coffee," he groaned. "It's been a long night."

"Liz called and asked about you," Jenna commented as she walked into the living room. She grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and flicked on the flat screen TV. "Why is she so worried – uh, no I mean, why is so much worried-_er_?"

An amused smile curved at the corner of his mouth. "That was so heartbreaking, I can't even dignify you with an answer." Benjamin gasped in pain as the remote abruptly flew into his gut. "Dammit, Jen!" he yelled.

"Get off your sorry ass and go to bed, you have an early day tomorrow."

Instead of usually retorting with a sarcastic answer, Benjamin took her advice. He fell into his bed without changing into any form of nightwear, a deep sigh breezing through his mouth as he sealed his eyes shut.

The vampire attacks, the innocent victims, his family issues, the Council's nagging and inquiring, his sister involving herself with Stefan Salvatore . . .

. . . Why did he feel it was only going to get worse?


	2. Chapter 2

**A Dream within a Dream**

"_**Hell is empty and all of the devils are here."**_

_**\- William Shakespeare**_

* * *

**September 9, 2009 – Mystic Fall's, Virginia – Gilbert Household – 7:09 A.M.**

"Mm, what's the special occasion, Jen?" Benjamin paused from hazardously wolfing down the remainder of his BLT omelet, his right hand hovering over the frayed keys of his laptop. Jenna's hair was halfway down into messy curls, but she was in the process of jamming in bobby pins to pin it up. She adorned a knee-length flattering navy blue dress. "You find a guy, or am I looking in too deep?"

"You know," Jenna huffed, violently finishing her hair as she sent him a scalding expression. "You have a strange fascination with my non-existent love life, Ben."

"I just want you to realize that you having a boyfriend will always be impossible, because I'd brutally murder him without hesitation. I've read every Edgar Allen Poe story to know how," he winked.

"Only you would say something like that," she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "And I'm going to the parent/teacher conference . . ." Jenna eventually trailed off as she finally looked at his appearance. Benjamin was wearing black slacks, a white dress shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, leather dress shoes, a solid ebony tie that was undone around the back of his neck, and she actually smelled the essence of the cologne that she bought for him last Christmas, almost a year ago. ". . . and you already knew that."

"Yup," he supplied with an overly cheery smile. "I _am_ a teacher."

"You're also a smartass," Jenna smiled, nevertheless. She was touching up her appearance with a pair of diamond-stud earrings, which she struggled to apply without utilizing a mirror for a viewpoint. "Can you believe Jeremy lied to me this morning about finishing a birdhouse at a wood shop this morning?"

"I can," Benjamin almost spit out the food in his mouth. "You believed that? Oh my God, how gullible are you, Jenna?" he laughed at her as she gave him a solid middle-finger, finishing up the assignment sheet for today's lessons. He truthfully should have completed this last night before falling asleep, but yesterday had crept up on him fast and he'd practically passed out.

The mention of the antecedent nightfall put Benjamin on an instant edge. He had another inevitable dream of a former memory. This time it had been at his graduation, ending with Grayson dragging him into an embrace that had felt so real – so _vivid_. And then the morning sunlight had skimmed across his face that had been half-buried into the dark gray pillowcase, and he'd snapped awake. The dream had felt so factual that he'd wondered, at first, why he was in his parent's bedroom.

Benjamin placed the bowl into the kitchen sink just as he heard Jenna turn the volume up on the TV from the living room. "Ben, come look," her alarmed voice quickly ushered him behind the back of one of the chairs, his eyes following hers to the news. It revealed the picture of a man and a woman, both currently unnamed for the time being, but both also very much dead.

He froze. An _animal_ attack, the reporter explained. "I should head to school a little before you," he chuckled falsely, going to the kitchen to gather his things. "You know, responsible teacher and all of that stuff and nonsense."

"These are horrible, though," Jenna folded her arms in concern, her left hand still holding a grasp on the remote. "I hope they find this thing, but all of these attacks so close together? Isn't that sort of weird, even for animals?"

"Who knows?" he called as he swiftly approached the door. "I'll see you sometime at the school. Drive safe."

"Wait!" Jenna ran forward, grinning goadingly up at him. "You're such a slob, Ben," she shook her head as she practically (sadistically on purpose) began strangling him as she adjusted his tie. He sighed underneath his breath as he observed the worry-lines beginning to form amongst her forehead, nothing a young, attractive twenty-eight-year-old woman should have. Her sacrifices for this family were beginning to haunt her, he could tell.

"You're doing great, Jenna," he told her as she finished, tenderly smiling as he swept her bangs back from her face. "Mom would be so proud, for what you've done for us. You know that?"

She grimaced, but sent him a frail expression, her hands still on his fixed tie. "For this family? Anything," said Jenna, a real smile replacing her watery one. She adjusted his collar, patting his chest twice. "You're ready to go. And don't tell me to drive safe, Paul Walker!"

He winked, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Benjamin opened his phone as he crumpled into his driver's seat. Starting the car, he carefully scanned through his contacts for a specific number. Pressing the receiver into his ear, Benjamin shifted the car into drive and began making a steady trip to the high school. A voice mail came through, of course. Sheriff Forbes was a terrible busy woman, especially when shit like this goes down and the media just-so-happens to know about it. "Hey, Liz, I heard the news. It seems like you and Mayor Lockwood might want to reschedule the Council meeting a little sooner than Friday evening."

Just as he pulled into the school parking lot, his phone began ringing. He answered with a forbidding expression. "Elizabeth. What's going on?" he asked, reclining back into the driver's seat.

"A bunch of shit, that's what," said Liz. "Look, there's going to be a meeting tomorrow night, right before the comet happens and everyone's expected to be with their families. I can't reach Zach through his cell. Drive to the boarding house and tell him for me."

"Uh, Liz – I have a job," Benjamin said. "A job that usually requires me to be there."

"And I'm trying to keep people convinced of animal attacks," she hissed, but then her voice softened at her next words. "Please, just drive over there. I'll call Principal Williams and we'll get you a substitute until you return."

Benjamin released a frustrated growl as he jammed the keys back into the ignition, ending the call and tossing the phone carelessly into the passenger's seat. Rubbing his hands over his face, the literature teacher reversed and began driving to the outskirts of Mystic Fall's.

Zachary Salvatore was an interesting, if anything, eccentric guy. He was reclusive, secluded into the Salvatore Boarding House, and Benjamin could only imagine what that huge, vacant house and hardly any company could do to the middle-aged man. Nonetheless, he was a friend. Zach believed that the secret of vampires, for some odd and strange reason, was his and only his to hold. He wasn't hostile with the Council, he was actually very helpful, but his shoulder's sagged with a mystery that inquired Benjamin's analytical attention.

He'd never voiced it to the Salvatore, though, for the sake of their friendship. People had their secrets, everyone did, and they was entitled to it.

Benjamin admired the Salvatore Boarding House as he pulled into the circular driveway. Even the well-kept landscape seemed too green around the beautiful estate. The literature teacher shifted his car into park, shoving his keys and phone into his pockets before taking the short stroll to the arched front door. Damn, who knew were Zach was, would he even hear him knock?

Rapping on the door twice and concurrently dialing the Salvatore's number, he was tapping his foot on the second ring when the front door was ripped inwards. Benjamin nearly dropped his cellphone from the sudden movement, but quickly calmed his erratic nerves. He opened his mouth to address Zach, but when he glanced at the person before him, it was in fact, not Zachary.

The man appeared to be a few years older than Benjamin, but you almost couldn't even tell. He was shorter than the Gilbert sibling, standing at perhaps five-foot-nine or five-foot-ten. Raven shoulder-length hair was swept back from his otherwise pale face, and ice blue eyes were narrowed in on him. There was an aura of arrogance and sarcasm encompassing him.

"Man, are you one of those bible thumpers?" the man wrinkled his nose, a lazy smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He scanned Benjamin's professional attire as he spoke. "If so, I would like to confess that I did some rather naughty sins last night." His eyebrows lifted suggestively, his left shoulder now casually leaned against the wooden door frame.

There was something abnormal about the person prior to him. Unintentionally, Benjamin felt like he was staring at a mirror. There was the indifference in the man's face, a composure worked from years of experience, something only obtained from emotional strain and the feeling of control crumbling from one's tight clasp. Benjamin could recognize the quality without a blink of an eye, because he was there, and he understood that wholeheartedly.

"Are you confessing for redemption?" Benjamin carefully played along, grinning slowly.

"Eh, I don't really feel guilty." The man's cool blue eyes broke from their previous skeptical view, and he carefully moved to the side so the literature teacher could shoulder his way over the threshold. "I'm going to throw out a guess and predict you're here to see Zach." The door swung shut behind him, and now the only true light was radiating from the tall set of windows in the parlor, save for a few Victorian iron lamps scattered about randomly.

Benjamin stepped into the house with wary steps, eyes fleeting over the antique-worthy furniture and the historical value that the estate seemed to have. Zachary, in all of the years of their friendship, had never invited him into the house. "You should be a fortune-teller," he extended out a hand, pivoting on his heel to face the enigma-encased man once more. "Benjamin Gilbert, but most people tend to call me Benny."

"Sure thing, Ben," he grabbed his hand, giving it a solid shake. Benjamin had somehow expected his hand to be freezing cold, but it was surprisingly warm. "The name is Damon Salvatore: the charming, exciting Salvatore brother."

"So, Stefan's older brother?"

Damon's eyebrows raised mockingly. "You should be a fortune-teller," a grin slithered its way up his crooked mouth. "And unfortunately so."

"Ah, he seems like a good enough kid."

That secretive expression returned, but it was menacing. "Oh yeah?"

A tension sunk into the atmosphere around them and Benjamin resisted the urge to fidget on his feet. He was eternally grateful when Zachary seemed to practically dive, or sprint into the room with a near-frantic expression. "Zach," Benjamin urged a smile on his lips. "Where's your phone?"

"It's –"Zachary began patting himself down, frowning frustratingly. He glanced up in defeat. "It's on my dresser," he finished lamely. With a masked expression, his slate gray eyes glimpsed over at Damon with a fast movement, and Benjamin easily detected the disquiet apprehension there. "Did, uh, Un – my _nephew_ let you in?" it was spoken so hastily that it barely audible, but for some reason, Zach's face paled several shades.

Benjamin's frown pinched tightly as he surveyed the strange behavior. "Yes, he did – but you _could_ ask him that yourself." Zachary's face was stricken as if he had been caught into a ghastly act. "Geez, Zach, you really need to get out more," he chuckled to ease a bit of fear from the older man.

"I've been telling him that for a while now," Damon agreed, winking casually at his uncle. "Apparently staring at the walls is far more appealing."

Zach's expression was solemn. "Did you need to speak to me privately, Benny?"

"Oh yeah," he glanced at Damon. "Should we –?"

"Oh, no need. I'll be in the next room over." Damon exited with a swagger unmatched, but not before halting to pour himself a glass of expensive bronze alcohol. He turned back at catch the Gilbert's eye, a gleam of confidence in his icy blue irises. "It was wonderful to make your acquaintance, Ben," Damon flourished into a sloppy bow, chuckling roguishly as he vacated the expansive living room area.

Benjamin scratched at the back of his neck, revolving his attention back to Zach. "So –"he was interrupted once more, which was vaguely irritating.

"Let's take a walk," Zachary cut in, promptly talking a fast trek to the closed front door.

The literature teacher shrugged, not seeing the reason why but also not questioning it. Perhaps there was a reason Zachary didn't want him inside his home, it was understandable to want to retain a sense of privacy. Benjamin was equivalent to that ideal. They walked out onto the graveled driveway, halting to a stand near the Gilbert's car. "Liz has been trying to reach you. There's been another 'animal attack' last night. Two campers."

Zachary raked a hand through his hair, the stress in his eyes overwhelming. "Seriously?" a flicker of aggravation passed through his expression. "Who found them?"

"Unfortunately not us, a family travelling back in from a town over drove by the vacated car – almost hit the girl in the process."

"_Damn_. Are we certain –?"

Benjamin laughed before he could continue, "It's hilarious how you ask that every time we discover a body with puncture marks anywhere where it plainly confirms it."

"Come on, Benny – you can't be too careful nowadays, right?"

"I guess. Anyways, the meeting will be held tomorrow night before the comet. Be there."

Zachary rubbed a hand down his face in exhaustion. "Look – I don't know –"

"Zach," Benjamin raised his eyebrows. "It will only last for, what, thirty minutes till an hour? Just attend and hunker down in the back beside the booze, that's what I do," he clapped the man on the shoulder. He checked the watch strapped to his wrist. "Shit," he cursed, glancing back at Zachary. "I have to go and verbally torment some high school kids," his hand was on his car handle as he yanked the door open. "I'll be in touch, though?"

Zachary was deep into his own musings, nodding faintly. "Yes. Yeah, of course. Take care, Benny." He held up a hand in farewell.

Benjamin saw Zachary still standing poised in the driveway as he accelerated down the driveway. He glanced away from the rearview mirror, turning his full attention back on the road. His phone suddenly began ringing inside of his pocket. He shifted until he finally yanked it out, flipping it open and pressing it against his ear. "Benjamin, here," he announced. He hadn't had time to check the caller-ID.

"Where are you?" Elena demanded, hotly. "I thought you were behind Jenna, but Caroline just told me you missed first period –"

"Sweetheart, calm down, I'm on my way there right now." He halted at a stop sign at a four-way.

"You can't just do that without telling anyone, Benny," she said, glowering through the phone. He could detect the fear in her voice. "Not without telling me –"

"It was Council business," Benjamin smiled. "I will be there shortly, sweetheart."

"Okay, okay," Elena was reassuring herself.

Benjamin flipped his phone shut. He quickly came to the realization that it wasn't just Jenna and him who were overly-concerned over the family's wellbeing, but it was also Elena. She was seventeen year's old, and he knew how responsible she suddenly felt for Jeremy.

She just doesn't realize that does not have to be her job.

* * *

**September 9, 2009 – Mystic Fall's, Virginia – Mystic Fall's High School– 3:46 P.M.**

Laziness – it was a term that, despite his prior sports and extracurricular activities as a teenager, he truly strived on. He was just an instinctively _take-the-easy-way-out_ kind of guy, it was also why many of his past relationships with a few girls took a nasty turn for the worse. That, and well – he had never truly put them first. He'd taken several psychology courses through college as a side-interest in case he had decided to switch to that major. He'd learned that girlfriends expected a lot. They expected passion, some romance, and for the guy to be thinking of them more often than not – and he understood that, that's what most starting relationships are about.

But, well, Benjamin had never really been like most guys. He put his family above anyone, and he thinks that's the sole reason why Jenna had become his best friend, even though they shared a six-year difference. She was family, and that had always been something he'd been raised to do by his mother and father.

But one thing they did not teach him was being lethargically incapable of doing things the right way, as in the way in which he should do but the feeling of sitting around watching TV won almost instantly. So this was also the reason to why he was walking through the high school, grading quiz papers as he did so. He knew every answer, so he thought it would be a breeze. Turns out, it's slightly difficult to read and walk straight at the same time.

"Hey, Gilbert!" someone called out. He cocked his head to the side to see William Tanner jogging up to him, his football coach attire adorned for an early drill-practice. By the way William's fingers instinctively began popping themselves, he clearly identified a nervous tick. "I needed to talk to you about something. Uh, it's about your kid brother, Jeremy –"

"Oh, no," Benjamin's red pen tapped impatiently against the papers. "Jenna agreed to handle that. Did she not show up?" he thought of all the torture he had been through with whiny teenagers and complaining parents about their child's unsuccessful scores. She'd bailed while he had been submitted to Hell's finest? "I swear, that woman –"

"No, no she came," the nervous tick resurfaced. "I just thought I could mention this to you. I don't think Miss Sommers realized how erratic Jeremy's behavior has been. I realize that this past summer has been rough on him, but drugs? Someone needs to put an end to this –"

"'This past summer has been rough on him'?" Benjamin's eyes narrowed in warning. "The parents he loved died without as much as a goodbye, William, so I suggest you rephrase and then speak again." Tanner opened his mouth, but he was cut off. "No, no I know about Jeremy's idiotic drug-abuse. He's a teenager suffering from parental loss, it's no surprise that he's coping with pot and whatever else the hell he's using. Quite frankly, I couldn't care less."

William's eyes widened in disbelief. "You _what_ –"

"I said I couldn't care less. Jeremy's old enough to know that whatever he's got going on right now will only crash back into him tenfold each time he uses. He'll give it up eventually, and I won't help him when he does, because he disregarded my warnings of it in the first place." Benjamin shook his head, the thoughts of grading papers now far from his mind. He tapped the folder against his thigh. "Look, I'll make sure Jeremy doesn't skip classes anymore. But anything else is mine and Jenna's business, okay?"

Benjamin really didn't give the man anytime to respond. He turned on his heel and marched out to his car. He drove home with the mindset of having a fierce discussion with his younger brother. It possibly involved yelling, but he couldn't be so certain of it, it honestly depended on Jeremy's mood. Which basically meant, was he high or no? That one question unsettled him, despite what he had previously told William Tanner. He did not condone the usage of drugs in the least bit, he had seen many of his prior school peers' careers and lives crumble from the addiction. Why take something knowing that if your tolerance for it was low enough, you could become entranced with the endorphins it released?

He kicked the front door closed with the sole of his dress shoe, already undoing his tie to actually allow his neck to breathe cool air. He hated ties. Benjamin threw his bag on the couch in the living room, tossing the cursed tie on top of it for good riddance. The house was eerily silent, the lights were off, the only source of light radiating from the opened French doors in the dining room.

It wasn't until he looked at the center island and saw the oily paper bags and the distinct smell of refried beans and greasy spiced meat, he knew Jenna was actually, in fact, home. "Uh, Jenna, what is this thing growing on our kitchen counter?" he called, knowing she was upstairs probably changing out of her dress. She wasn't really fond of prettying herself up, either, he came to find.

"A food only the worthy can digest," she responded. He heard her weight against the floorboards of the stairs as she practically skimmed down them. She entered in a long-sleeved peach shirt, and gray yoga pants that looked so comfortable he was beginning to feel envious. "I had a craving," she explained, opening the stainless refrigerator to pull out a bottle of water.

"Are you sure that's what you think it is," he took the stool and smiled widely when she handed him his own bottle. "The paper bag looks overly suspicious if you ask me."

Jenna smiled sheepishly. "Well, I've already ate like a third of it, so I really hope not."

"Ah, you're such a pig, Jen," Benjamin chuckled comically. He frowned at her when she aggravatingly tossed a flour tortilla ship and it hit him on the forehead – but then she grinned and said she was a perfect 10, and he was a pathetic 0, on a weirdly scaled scoreboard so he couldn't help but smile at her absurdity. He had a feeling she also had an alternate meaning to the 0-10 reference, but he'd remain ignorant of that.

Jenna had always been awkward when he was growing up. Yeah, she was just that awkward, spasmodic Jen that would rather watch re-runs of one season of Grey's Anatomy for a full month then just re-watch the whole thing, because in her own words, "_the others are lame_." She was the one who would rather sit around eating a tub of ice-cream and play scrabble then go out and have a good time at some sketchy bar like most single people her age do. She was also the one who would rather take joint custody of two hormonal, still-grieving teenagers rather than just leave him alone to balance it out _somehow_ with his teaching salary.

"What are you doing this weekend?" he asked her, a grimace curling his lips as she shoved meat, cheese, and a guacamole slathered chip into her mouth. "That, right there, is exactly why if we go out to a restaurant, I'm avoiding Mexican."

"Shut up," she swallowed. "And I don't know. I thought teachers have to attend the football game this Friday."

"Nah, they don't need me," said Benjamin. "We could take a road trip out to Richmond, there's a really nice restaurant that makes killer chocolate Fondue, and we can order all of the strawberries and bananas to go with that. My mouths salivating just thinking about it."

Jenna looked startled by his offer, but her expression melted into a small smile. "You don't have to do that, Benny," she solemnly played with her food. "I see what you're doing –"

"I'm asking you to drive to Richmond for a night of possible fun," Benjamin shrugged. "Everyone knows you detest my driving tendencies."

She sniggered softly, "Okay, okay, yeah. Saturday evening we'll go."

"Great!" he slid off the stool. "I'm going to change into something more comfortable," he was in the threshold of the kitchen, but halted and turned back to face her. "If Jeremy comes in, you tell him he and I need to have a discussion."

"I'm all over it," she agreed.

Ten minutes later, Benjamin had stripped off his shirt and was dressed in black sweatpants and one of his old gray collage tee-shirts. He collapsed heavily on the couch downstairs and cushioned his head with his forearm, the remote resting leisurely against his stomach as he vaguely watched the Psych marathon. In truth, his thoughts were too scattered to even remotely attempt to focus on what any of what the actors and actresses were saying.

His mind, of course, had traitorously turned toward the subject of his deceased parents, like always. He found that not only did they haunt his sleep and dreams, but they generally enjoyed popping up unannounced when he seemed to relax even a miniscule of muscle. To be honest, Benjamin almost wished they would just disappear. It was exhausting, and he knew if he did not get enough sleep like he'd currently been doing, he would not be able to just function off of just the caffeine of coffee.

The door opened directly in front of him, where his eyes had been trained instead of on the TV. Jeremy stepped inside with a quiet close of the door, cloaked in his black pants and V-neck that Benjamin instinctively rolled his eyes at. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Jer," he placed on an overly-sunny smile, waving briefly with the hand that had been positioned across his lap.

Jeremy gave him a look that painstakingly spoke, _fuck you_. "I don't have time for one of your male-bonding-brother speeches, Benny. I'm going to the Hospital –"

"Ah, Miss Donovan?"

He clenched his jaw tautly, "Yes. Look, are you going to tell me to stay here? Because I'll gladly walk out that damn door without your permission."

Benjamin's face dropped. "Actually, you can go," Jeremy was already halfway walking to the kitchen to probably snatch his jacket. "Jer," he called, halting the younger boy. "Make sure you tell one of the nurses for Brian to fax me an information report. Just give them my name."

"Whatever," the boy grumbled uninterestedly.

"And Jeremy," Benjamin frowned sullenly. "Don't make such statements unless you're willing to actually do them."

"Well, then the same goes to you, _joint guardian_," he spoke the title with such emphasis and disgust that the literature teacher released a sigh as Jeremy walked away with an attitude. He rolled his eyes. The boy was an emotional fire-hazard. A true drama Queen, that one.

His relationship with his brother used to be different. After mom and dad had abruptly been ripped from all of their lives, Jeremy had created the habit of sufficiently and ignorantly shoving people away who merely wished to help him. Benjamin had only wanted to be that comforting presence – no words of consolation, no pep talks, no too-enthusiastically-false smiles – but he couldn't even be that figure, Jeremy was as hard-headed as Miranda, their mother.

Miranda Sommers-Gilbert had always been the type to scream at you for a straight hour, realize she was wrong soon after but would walk away with a waver in her step (without apologizing, but dad had only found it amusing just to embarrass her further). The next morning, whoever her victim had been, would generally receive special attention on the breakfast menu. Mom was the person who rushed headlong into a project, finish it, and then realize she hadn't read the instructional pamphlet correctly.

Teasing her growing up had been a favorite hobby of Benjamin, even though it usually got him sent to his room or cleaning toilets for the next month or two as a daily chore.

Jeremy even looked like Miranda. Sure, all of the Gilbert siblings had the thick dark hair, the taupe eyes – though his were almost painted practically black – and the olive-tanned skin. But Jeremy just resembled their mother more than Elena or him. And sadly, he _never_ apologized, either.

Benjamin released a breath. Sinking back into the sofa, ignoring the fact that he didn't exactly comfortably horizontally fit on the furniture, he rested his head against the cushion behind him and drifted his eyes shut. The recorded episode on the TV was a distant sound in the background, gradually fading out as he drifted off.

* * *

**September 9, 2009 – Mystic Fall's, Virginia – Gilbert Household – 7:01 P.M.**

The first thing Benjamin registered was the feeling of something shockingly heavy plowing into his midsection. Instinctively doubling over to the side, he shoved the bag that Elena had purposely dropped (more like threw) on top of him. "Sweetheart, are you trying to kill me?" though in actuality, he was more than grateful to be rid of the memory/dream he'd been experiencing.

A smile curled the corner of her mouth, "It's crossed my mind a few times," Elena chuckled. She snatched the remote off of the floor near him, flicking off the TV that had been murmuring in the background. "You shouldn't take naps, Benny, you never go to sleep afterwards when you do that."

Benjamin grumbled to himself, "I thought I was the older sibling." He grimaced at the ache in his stiff shoulders as he wrenched himself into a slouched, sitting position.

"No, it's good to hear your voice, Sandra!"

The teacher felt his back grow rigid at the familiar name. He froze with his hand partially raked through his messy hair, eyes locked on the figure of Jenna as she roamed toward him with his cellphone tucked against her right hand and ear. Her hazel eyes spoke of a foreshadowing argument between the two of them, as well as an explanation.

Benjamin sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. It'd been a while since Alessandra had even crossed his mind, and he knew that he'd never dare tell the woman that in fear of her wrath. He'd met Sandra through pure coincidence, bumping into her in a town dead smack in the middle of Maryland. She'd grabbed his wrist before he could even utter an apology, and when he had glanced at her, she'd taken his breath away.

It wasn't about attraction, but the intensity of feeling as if he was meant to know her. Though he couldn't deny her beauty. Alessandra Uccello's family all hailed from Venice, Italy, and even she had a slight accent and seemed to have the habit of creating nicknames in her mother tongue. Sandra had short black hair that was always styled by her own pillow, olive green eyes, and had the height of a nine year-old kid.

Her first words to him had been, "_Are you Benjamin Gilbert?" _she never told him how she came to know his name, even if he had learned that she was a witch.

Yes, witches and warlocks are very much real.

"No, he didn't," Jenna's hardening voice drew him back from his thoughts, and he rolled his eyes at her dramatic tone. He gestured for her to hand him his phone with a wave of his hand. "You should come visit, Sandra . . . Okay, I will. Bye," she pursed her lips as she practically slammed the device in his palm.

Elena raised her eyebrows curiously, but swiftly departed from the room to confront Jenna's hostility with positive words.

Benjamin leaned back into the couch, yawning into the receiver as he cleared his throat, "_Ciao_," he announced flatly.

"_You've been avoiding me, caro_," Alessandra's voice was naturally light, almost childlike, and it was strange to even hear her when she did spells which were usually performed in a coarse Latin.

"Uh, no I'm not."

"_Yes,_ _sei tu_."

"Don't spout Italian that I don't understand, Sandra," he rolled his eyes. "And I really haven't. I'm a busy person."

"_I am as well, caro_."

He chuckled with amusement, "Oh, drinking tea and chopping up herbs is a chore nowadays?"

"_Chiuderlo_," she hissed with irritation. "_If you had took the time to answer the calls I have been sending you, you'd be interested in what I have to tell you._"

"If you sentence together _enchantment_ and _incendio_ I am going to hang up and lose this number."

"You are such an asshole, Benjamin. First of all, that's Harry Potter, the spell is much longer than that . . . and it was an experiment – they grew back!"

"It took _months_ – you know what, never mind." Benjamin felt like punching himself in the face. "Hold on a sec as I strangle myself." He heard her wry chuckle as he dragged himself off the couch and outside the front door, flicking on the dim light as he sat on the white porch swing. "Okay, Miss_ it-was-an-accident-even-though-I-laughed-my-ass-off_, I wasn't returning your calls because, to tell you the truth, I don't like you – does that suffice?"

"_You love me_," she confirmed bluntly.

"No, I love those puppy-dog green eyes of yours," he cooed obnoxiously into the phone. "They hold a will over me. Did you spellbound me, witch?" he sniggered humorously.

"_Dio, caro. Of course not."_

"Sure, sure. Now talk to me, Sandra. What's up? Did a flower wilt and you thought of my well-being or something?"

"_You're unbelievable. I'm about to hang up and not tell you shit, Benjamin," _she sighed audibly. "_There's a vampire in Mystic Fall's."_

Benjamin stared impassively across the porch, eyes gazing vaguely into the railing. "I know that, Sandra. I knew that ten years ago."

"_You're perception of time is greatly exaggerated. I figured you knew, I was just stating the fact before continuing onto my actual Intel, okay? You requested I keep tabs on your sleepy town, caro, and I have. Thorough tabs. The vampires withhold a past there – there's more than one vampire, by the way."_

"What the actual _hell_, Sandra! Yeah, well, that's news," he shook his head in revelation. He had never considered the possibility that there were two vampires roaming Mystic Fall's. "Anything else besides the whole nostalgic past detail?"

"_The Sight can only reveal to me what it wants me to know."_

"Yeah, yeah, the whole balance of the earth subject – thanks anyways. I'll look into it. If you have anything else, text me during school hours – the last thing I wanted was Jen answering my damn phone. She likes you too much."

"_Can't help that I am naturally likable." _

"Or the fact that she still thinks were secretly exchanging more than just friendly words with each other, Sandra," he grinned. "That option is still open, you know," he wasn't serious, he was teasing her.

"_Vaffanculo_," she hissed, hanging up.

It was all in good humor – _he thinks_. Alessandra has a disastrously short-temper.

So two vampires, huh? It was difficult enough to track down one vampire, but a duo? Biting on his bottom lip in thought, Benjamin returned inside of the Gilbert Household.

"He's on the rebound and has raging family issues," Elena was stating with a disappointed expression, tossing together a mix of leftovers from Jenna's taco craving.

"Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues – or cheating issues . . . or amphetamine issues," Jenna said wisely, leaning against the kitchen table adjacent to Elena, a partially eaten apple in her right hand.

"All in which got a beating the hell out of, courtesy by yours truly," Benjamin bowed sloppily, reaching over to the bar to plug his cellphone on charge.

"Hey, you shut it, you don't get to act all brotherly and . . . _whatever_ – because Sandra just explained to me that you completely ignore her and her feelings!"

Wow . . . Alessandra overdid it a bit.

"Um, no, drama queen – I ignore her, her feelings, and generally her cellphone number. You didn't get the memo of that last part."

"You're an ass," Jenna rolled her hazel eyes, but Elena was smiling widely behind her bite of food. At least his sister found it amusing.

Benjamin heard the front door open and observed as Jenna's mildly humorous expression rapidly shifted downward. "Jeremey," she said flatly, and Benjamin tilted his head to the side to his the youngest sibling shut the door behind him. He began to retreat upstairs, but Jenna charged after him like a bull chasing for a red cape. "Jeremey, where were you?"

_I technically told him he could go_, Benjamin thought mildly, but swiftly dismissed the idea of mentioning it. Jenna was on a mission, and he really didn't want to deal with her crash-landing at the moment. He evolved his attention on his little sister. "Boy problems, sweetheart?" he asked with amusement.

Elena sent him a withering look. "How about don't start."

_Ouch_.

* * *

**September 10, 2009 – Mystic Fall's, Virginia – Town Square – 6:34 P.M.**

"Okay, little guy, tell me what you want," Benjamin smiled softly at the six year-old before him, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he studied the pictures in the small three-ring binder placed on the fold-out table. He'd always volunteered alongside Rachelle to do the face-paintings at any types of festivals at the town.

"I wanna be . . . the Hulk!" the boy informed him excitedly. "I wanna be green!"

"You wanna be green?" Benjamin chuckled entertainingly.

The boy appeared almost offended, "No, I wanna be the Hulk!"

The twenty-two-year-old raised one eyebrow, grinning and nodding in agreement to the kid's words. He leaned back in his chair and searched around in his bag of paint bottles, pulling out a hunter green shade as he squirted a good bit onto a paper plate. "This the right color for the Hulk, little guy?" he asked the boy, who nodded eagerly at seeing the thick liquid. Really, kids below the age of nine just wanted their face to get slathered in paint – it wasn't really about being the Hulk.

Picking up his brush, Benjamin began detailing the outline of the boy's face. As he worked, his mind began to wander. A council meeting had been held just minutes before he had planted himself down in the folding chair, and Benjamin had not liked what he had heard.

Basically, to sum up everything, the council was beyond clueless. Generally vampires could be tracked through the count of dead bodies, but for some odd reason – it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so with this . . . _duo_. And idiotically, something in Benjamin's gut had kept the fact that he knew there were two vampires around town.

He knew he couldn't tell the council – what questions would that raise? A lot, because evidently there is no such thing as witches or warlocks. He would have no answer to explain how he knew there was two vampires skulking around in the dark. And so, as usual, it raised the fact that he would have to investigate by himself.

"Hey," someone greeted him from behind, and he felt hands massage his shoulders. The soprano undertone and enthusiasm was enough to recognize the source of the voice. Except, she didn't sound too enthusiastic to be considered normal.

"Caroline," he greeted, brushing vivid green across the kid's freckled nose. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing . . . just getting rejected a lot today," she sighed, squeezing his shoulders once before half-circling him to stand by his side.

He glanced at her out of his peripheral vision. She was wearing an Easter yellow summer dress. Her golden hair was curled. She was beautiful, as always. "Caroline Forbes, rejected? Who is this, so I can go question their sanity."

She giggled lightly. "No one in particular," she said evasively. "I just wanted to come say hello, are you going to be at the comet tonight?"

"Probably. Depends on if Jenna's gonna be there or not."

Caroline sighed wistfully, "I wish I had family loyalty like you do."

Benjamin stared at her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't speak for a moment, finishing the boy's makeup and giving him a hand mirror so he could see the paintjob. After squealing happily, he scampered off toward his parents. Benjamin leaned back in his chair, now turning his head to meet Caroline's down-casted peer. "Caroline, your mother is a great woman and I think it a privilege for me to call her my friend."

She scoffed indignantly, "Friend and mother are two separate things."

He sent her a warm smile, shaking his head. "They're not supposed to be."

Benjamin ended painting several faces before Jenna arrived and whisked him off for the short walk toward The Grill. Besides he didn't care much for astronomy, or clumsy people around him walking around with lit candles in their hands – so a beer sounded good right about then.

"Ah, thank God you're working tonight Robert," Benjamin grabbed a barstool beside Jenna, "two beers and two orders of the burger and fries combo."

"I gotcha, Benny," the man nodded, walking to the cooler and capping off the tops before handing them two cold beers. The middle-aged man winked before heading off to cook up their orders.

"Benny, are you alright?"

He glanced sharply over at the person he considered his best friend. She had her elbows braced against the bar countertop, resting her chin on her palm as she scanned him with her eyes. He was guessing that she saw the darkened shadows underneath his eyes. "Yeah, Jen – it's been a long day," he told her, swigging back three large swallows of beer. Beer had a bitter taste, he didn't like it, but the burn of the drink going down his throat was soothing rather than uncomfortable.

"More like a long month," she snorted, still watching him closely. "You haven't been sleeping," she stated matter-of-factly.

He decided against fighting her words. "No."

"Are you having nightmares?" it sounded silly, but it was a serious inquiry judging by her somber expression.

"They aren't nightmares," he told her, and it came out snappish – because it wasn't a lie. Benjamin was experiencing previous memories; the dreams of his past. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't consider them nightmares. "No – look, I just can't sleep much. I've never been able to, you know that."

"Yeah, but not to the point that you start looking like a zombie."

Robert placed their food in front of them in black platter baskets, the aroma of freshly-cooked food was heavenly to the literature teacher. Damn, and the fries were curly – his favorite. Robert knew his order at heart, how soothing.

Benjamin sent Jenna a cheeky smile. "A handsome zombie, I hope?"

She bit harshly into her burger, not responding but her expression was enough to confirm she would have said, "_Not in the least_."


End file.
